The Final Night:
Kansas City, MO
Last round of the 2003/2004 US National Arenacross series
Saturday, February 28th marked the final round of
the 2003/2004 US National Arenacross series and the riders didn’t disappoint.
Aggressive racing went on all night between Richmond Racing’s Darcy Lange and
Shogun Yamaha rider Tommy Hofmaster.
Qualifying was shaky for Lange as he and Hofmaster would
come together more than their fare share of times before the night was over. In
the 250 qualifiers, Lange and Hofmaster battled back and fourth with aggressive
passes throughout the entire six lap qualifier. Eventually both riders would
end up taking a soil sample due to aggressive racing.
During semi qualifying, Lange and Hofmaster came together
again, this time Lange having the upper hand and moving onto the 250 main
event. Due to aggressive riding between both riders, neither rider managed to
qualify for the Dash for Cash so it was off to the main events.
The 125 main event ended about as quickly as it started for
Lange and his Pro Circuit KX250F. After a good start, a certain number two
Shogun Yamaha rider, decided to take it upon himself and put an abrupt end to
Lange’s night with an aggressive move in the first corner leaving Lange on the
ground. Bent bars and all, Lange finished the 125 main event in fourteenth
place.
The 250 main event went much better for Lange and the
Richmond team. Lange’s Ian Woods prepped KX250 got him out to the holeshot
where he would check out for the main event win. It ended the season on a
positive note for Lange, his mechanic as well as the entire team.
Jeff Northrop also had a consistent night tonight. After a
decent start in the 125 final, Northrop would charge up to fifth place where he
would end the race. 250 action went much the same, as Norcal would charge the
entire race to finish a decent eighth place on the night.
All in all it was a great Arenacross season for Lange,
Northrop and the entire Richmond Team. Congratulations to Darcy Lange for
clinching his first major title in the US Arenacross Series. Congratulations to
Jeff Northrop as well, as the rookie put in strong rides all year long to end
the series a respectable sixth overall. We would also like to say thank you to
Shawn Clark for impressive rides early in the season before a broken foot would
put him out for the rest of the year.
Special thanks to all the sponsors who helped make this
possible: Chevy Truck Kawasaki Team Green, Pro Circuit, Richmond Motorsports,
Fox, Silkolene, Spy, Dunlop, Sunstar, Pro Taper, Gaerne, Braking, Motion Pro,
Vaz Chains, Wiseco, Fast 50, Ogio, N-Style, Hinson, Works Connection, UNI
Filter, Athena, Fast-Line, VP
